“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.’” Luke 9:23-24

As creatures of comfort we try to avoid pain whenever possible—physically and emotionally. We cling to what’s secure, safe and feels good in our circumstances and relationships, naturally seeking to protect ourselves. But if we hold ourselves too tightly, we keep ourselves from following God with our whole hearts.

God often asks us to get out of our comfort spots and set ourselves aside for his glory. He wants us to trust him, but we can only do that when we let go and obey.

In His crucifixion, Jesus subjected himself to public mockery, severe beatings, and one of the most horrific deaths the world has ever come up with. As the Son of God, he didn’t have to endure anything; he wasn’t a prisoner of the Roman soldiers any more than he allowed himself to be. Even in those last excruciating hours nailed to the cross, he could have opted out. But Jesus understood his suffering was not about him; it was the only way to restore sinners like you and me to our loving heavenly Father.

God doesn’t force us to follow him either. He doesn’t put the cross on us, but asks us to pick it up willingly. Our decision will cost us something; there’s heavy lifting, rejection, and personal interruptions. Actually, it will cost us everything. The only way to get the life we work so hard to protect is to give it back to God and trust him to take care of it.

Do we have it in us to publically align ourselves with him no matter what the rest of the world thinks? Do we have it in us to follow Jesus’ example and submit ourselves to God even when it gets tough?

Ask God to give you the courage, strength, and endurance to follow him every day. No matter how tough the obstacles, how long the dark night, how our plans might be disrupted, may we never forget real life starts when we give ourselves to him.

From a devotional by Tommy Woodard and Eddie James